Large farming operations that opposed the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate were dealt a victory on Thursday. The Supreme Court temporarily blocked the mandate in a 6-3 decision that would have been issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
“OSHA has never before imposed such a mandate. Nor has Congress. Indeed, although Congress has enacted significant legislation addressing the COVID–19 pandemic, it has declined to enact any measure similar to what OSHA has promulgated here,” the majority opinion stated.
“Applicants now seek emergency relief from this Court, arguing that OSHA’s mandate exceeds its statutory authority and is otherwise unlawful. Agreeing that applicants are likely to prevail, we grant their applications and stay the rule.”
The three liberal judges were in dissent.
Initially, business owners had until Jan. 4 to be compliant with the mandate which was meant to protect more than 84 million workers from the spread of the coronavirus while on the job. The emergency temporary standard would cover two-thirds of the nation’s private-sector workforce.
It would have imposed sanctions on U.S. employers with at least 100 workers that fail to ensure all of their employees are either fully vaccinated for the coronavirus or tested for the virus every week.
Click here to read the ruling.